uptake
Americannoun
-
uptakes
plural
-
apprehension; understanding or comprehension; mental grasp.
quick on the uptake.
-
an act or instance of taking up; a lifting.
the uptake of fertilizer by machines.
-
Also called take-up. Machinery. a pipe or passage leading upward from below, as for conducting smoke or a current of air.
-
Physiology. absorption.
noun
-
a pipe, shaft, etc, that is used to convey smoke or gases, esp one that connects a furnace to a chimney
-
mining another term for upcast
-
taking up or lifting up
-
the act of accepting or taking up something on offer or available
-
informal quick to understand or learn
-
informal slow to understand or learn
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of uptake
Vocabulary lists containing uptake
The Water Cycle - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Water Cycle - Middle School and High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Possibly many billions in scholarships, even with modest donor uptake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The researchers linked this carbon uptake to the microporous structure of zeolite and the high carbon content of bamboo biochar.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
It said more cancers could be prevented through implementing the Tobacco and Vapes Act, providing better support to stop smoking and increasing the uptake of HPV vaccinations to protect against cervical cancer.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Waymo is the latest firm to launch trials in Europe, where uptake of robotaxi services has been much slower than in the United States and China.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Quick on the uptake, man. I always say that about you.”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
"Basically, these are all just different systems of encapsulating your molecule so that the bodily more readily uptakes it," Boyar says.
From Salon ● Mar. 4, 2023
Tower Hamlets has seen one of the lowest uptakes of vaccines in the UK throughout the pandemic.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2022
Eighteen other workers had unintended uptakes of less than 1 millirem after passing by the area of the airborne radioactive particles as they evacuated the room.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2022
Italy has one of the highest vaccine uptakes in the world with 80% of the population having received either one or two jabs, while around 15% of people have had a booster shot.
From Reuters ● Dec. 6, 2021
The uptakes by which the waste gases were conveyed to the funnels were united immediately above the water-tight bulkhead which separated the boiler rooms.
From Loss of the Steamship 'Titanic' by British Government
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
